The Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) earned six awards at the 2026 National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Communications Contest, announced September 26 at NFPW’s national conference in Ellicott City, Maryland, recognizing the work of the Division for excellence in communication and storytelling. NFPW represents professionals and students working across the communications spectrum in the United States.
“Receiving national recognition like this is a testament to the talent and dedication of Delaware’s arts community,” said Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez. “National recognition brings greater visibility to the Division of Arts, along with the artists and organizations it supports, to people across the country. That visibility strengthens our creative economy, celebrates the talent found throughout our state, and reinforces Delaware’s reputation as a place where the arts thrive.”
DDOA earned first place awards for the DelawareScene radio commercial in the advertising and radio category They also won first place for the 2025 Poetry Out Loud poster in the advertising, poster, billboard or banner category. CreatVeterans: Working with Clay won second place in the web and social media, video for web, nonprofit or government operation category. 2025 Delaware Arts Summit print advertisement won for the advertising, single advertisement category. Arts Alive Delaware: Wilmington Children’s Chorus wone third place in the radio and television, interview, television category while the 2024 Annual Report won an honorable mention for the public relations material, report category.
“These awards came out of everyday work: a radio spot, a poster, a video, an annual report,” said Jessica Ball, Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “Having that work hold up against communicators from across the country tells me the stories we are telling about Delaware’s arts community are connecting. The credit belongs to the artists, organizations, and partners who give us stories worth telling in the first place.”
The award-winning professionals and partners behind DDOA’s national entries include Andrew Truscott and Izzy Cocuzza of the Delaware Division of the Arts, Elias Muhammad of Advocate Media, and Brandon Reed and Ivan Thomas of DETV.
These national awards make up the second tier of a two-level competition. DDOA’s entries advanced after winning first place at the state-level Delaware Press Association contest earlier this year, then competed nationally through the National Federation of Press Women.
The Delaware Division of the Arts is an agency of the State of Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.
